Bus lanes in Downtown Langley will support Fraser Highway “B-Line Lite” service this fall, speeding up travel for all

Fraser Highway is one of the busiest transit corridors in Metro Vancouver. As I posted about in April, bus ridership is up over 15% between 2017 and 2018 in the South of Fraser (and up 12% for the 502). It looks like this year will see large ridership gains as well.

While there are many areas in Langley with little or no bus service, Downtown Langley is not one of those places. During the busiest times of the day, there is a bus every 65 seconds on some sections of street in Downtown Langley.

To ensure that buses continue to move, and reduce delays, TransLink and Langley City are looking at putting in bus priority lanes on Fraser Highway westbound from 203 to 200 Street, 203 Avenue northbound from Fraser Highway to Logan Avenue, and Logan Avenue eastbound from 203 Street to Glover Road.

Planned westbound bus lane along Fraser Highway marked in yellow. Outside lane restrict to buses, bicycles, and vehicles turning right. Select map to enlarge.

Planned northbound bus lane along 203rd Street marked in yellow. Outside lane restrict to buses, bicycles, and vehicles turning right. Select map to enlarge.

Planned eastbound bus lane along Logan Avenue marked in yellow. Outside lane restrict to buses, bicycles, and vehicles turning right. Select map to enlarge.

These bus priority lanes will increase the people-carrying capacity of the street network in Downtown Langley. While it is counter-intuitive, these lanes will also speed up travel for people driving as well.

Faster and more reliable bus service, plus travel time improvements for people who drive, this project is a win-win.

TransLink and Langley City want your feedback on the Downtown Langley bus priorities measures. There will be an open house at City Hall tonight from 3pm until 7pm. You can also complete an online survey to provide your feedback.

If all goes to plan, these bus priority lanes will be in place this fall to support the 503 “B-Line Lite” service as shown on the following map:

503/502 enhanced service planned to start this fall along Fraser Highway. Select image to enlarge.  

As a note, there will be a reduction of 6 on-street parking spots in front of McLeary's Furniture & Mattresses. To mitigate this, there will be additional customer parking accessible via the back lane.